Electric switch



' W. H. WOODS Sept. 4, 1945.

' ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed Sept. 50, 1942 BY J M A TTORNE Y Patented Sept. 4, 1945 ELECTRIC SWITCH William H. Woods, Garden City, Mich, anlgnor to Square D Company, Detroit, Mich, a corporatlon of Michigan Application September 30,1942, Serial No. 460,219

' (c1. zoo-1c) Claims.

This invention relates to devices for making and breaking electrical circuits and more particularly to electric switches of the snap acting type.

An object of the present invention is the provision of an economical and simple switch structure of the snap-acting type having relatively few parts of small size and which operates in a highly efllcient manner.

Other objects and features of this invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the specification and appended drawing illustrating certain preferred embodiments in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of an electric switch according to the present invention showing the movable contacts as being normally in disengaged position.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 11-11 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cut-away view of the switch of Figure 1 but with the movable contacts shown in engaged position.

Figure & is a cut-away sectional view showlns a modified construction of the invention in which the movable contacts are normally held in enber 2 ha a necked portion 4 thereby eflecting a ledge 5 on the member and carries a mounting bushing I having an opening therethrough. The bushing 8 is permanently secured to the member 2 by rolling the lower edge or rim of the bushing so as to embrace the ledge 5. A lock nut 'l is carried by the mounting bushing 6 to aid in securing the electric switch in a desired location. Slldably disposed within a chamber 8 provided in member 2 and extending through the opening in the bushing 8 to the exterior of the switch is an actuator or operator 8 for manually eflecting operation of the switch. The actuator 9 comprises a pair of interfitting cup-shaped members H and I2, the member ll being of metallic composition and adapted to receive the cupmember l2 which is formed of molded insulating material each of the members II and I2 is provided with, respectively, a projecting ledge l3 and H. The members II and I2 are disposed within the chamber 8 before the mounting bushing 6 is secured to the member 2 so that they may extend through the opening in the bushing 6 in position to be manually moved, but ledge l8 oi.member1:: Ii being engageable with the bottom face:of=th'e== bushing I prevent the members ll audit-being;- removed through this opening.

A spring I i is contained within chamber. has one end extending-into a recess lliprovided.

by the cup-shaped member I2 and bears-against:.

the base thereof. The opposite end iiiotsthezspring I! is disposed upon the upper i'acesoiimv member I! carried by an actuating; rod 2L. Spring ll thus disposed exerts its bias to tain the member l2 within member. ii andstm maintain the both of them in their uppermost position within chamber 8, carrying ledgellof.

the member ll into engagement with the under;

surface of bushing O.

Disposed between the under-face of the member l9 and the bottom or base 22 of the nominal: member 2 is a second spring 23 whichserves a return spring, eflecting return movement of the" member I! and the actuator I to the position'of Figure 1 after manual actuation and release thereof.

Molded into the upper housing member hire a pair of conducting members. 24 and 25,1 the lower ends 28 of which are threaded: andatherupper ends of which are bent over and flattened. as at 21 and have riveted thereto stationaryicontact members 28 and 29. The upper housing; member 2 is received by the housingmemberrt and is supported upon ledges ii and 32 therein.

The'ledges ll and 32 are provided with openings;

therethrough, through vwhich openings pass the.

conducting members 24 and 25 so that the threaded ends 26 thereof are disposed at the ex terior of the switch. Nuts 33 are. then fitted upon these threaded ends to hold the upper and lowe housings 2 and 3 in assembly. Terminal members 24 and 35 carrying terminalstuds'jvlli and 31 for securing lead wires (not shown) there to are disposed upon the threaded ends 2601 the conducting members 24 and 25' and are. held thereon by nuts 22. An insulating barrierv 38'; provided upon the under-surface of the housing 3 extends between theterminal studs "andv 31:

The actuating rod 2| extends through an opening in the base 22 of the upper housing member 2 and into an-aligned recess 4i provided within the base 42 ofthe .lower housing member 3 to thus center the rod and permit the rod to be moved only rectilinearly. Slidably mounted upon the:- actuating rod 2| for movement lengthwisethereof is a switch member 43 comprising a movablesupporting member 44 which carries a conducting or contact plate 45 adapted to bridge. the

,U-shaped member 48,

stationary contacts 28 and 28. To provide for snap movement of the movable contact 45, an inverted U- -s'haped member 46 of spring material is also carried by the member 44 having the extremities of its arms 41 bent to form seats which receive one end of the flat plate-like members or links 48 and 48, the other ends of which are received by a groove provided between peripheral ledges 5| formed upon the actuating rod 2|. Engaging the flat members 48 and 48 between the extremities thereof to efiect rotative movement of these members in a manner and for a purpose to be hereinafter described are a pair of opposing ledges 52 and 58 extending upwardly from the base 42 of the housing 3. 'In the .assembly of the switch, the spring |5 disposed between the base of recess l1 and the member l8 exerts a bias to normally hold the second spring 23 in a slightly compressed position and to move the actuating rod 2| to a position where the movable contact 45 will normally be out of engagement with the stationary contacts 28 and 28.

In the operation of the switch, the actuator or operator 8 is depressed into the chamber 8 to efiect a compression of the spring l5 and spring 23. The actuating rod 2| is not immediately moved upon depression of the actuator 8, but upon continued depressing of the actuator 9 sufficient force will eventually be transmitted by the spring l5 to the actuating rod 2|, after the lost motion is taken up, ment thereof.

In this downward movement, the rod 2|, through theledges 5|, carries the ends of the flat members 48 and 49 disposed therebetween also downwardly to rotate these members about the fulcrums provided by the ledges 52 and 53. This rotation of the links 48 and 49 upon the fulcrums 52 and 58' first presses the arms 4'! of the U-shaped member 48 outwardly and when the moving ends are carried through the dead center line of the links, the U-shaped member 48 will snap upwardly, due t the resiliency of the to carry the supporting member 44 and the movable contact 45 also upwardly to effect a bridging of the stationary contacts 28 and 28. After engagement of the contacts has been eifected, the actuator 8 may be further depressed against the bias of spring 28 to thus provide a substantial overtravel. Upon release of the actuator 8, the return spring 23 will expand to move the actuating rod 2| and member I8 upwardly to the normal position of Figure l and spring l5 will also be moved upwardly and will expand to thereby move the actuator 8 to its uppermost position. In this upward movement of rod 2|, links 48 and 48'will pass overcenter in the reverse direction to snap the movable contact 45 into open position.

In. the modification of Figure 4, the contacts are shown as normally engaged. This is effected by mounting stationary contact members 54 and 55 in the 42 of the housing member 8 and by inverting the supporting member 4, the movable contact 45 and the U-shaped member 46. Ledges 58 and 51 are then formed upon the under surface of base 22 of the housing 2 to provide fulcrums for the link members 48 and 48. The peripheral ledges 5| in the modification which engage the ends of the link members 48 and 48 are located at a higher level upon the actuating rod 2| to properly position the links 48 and 48 with respect to the ledges 55 and 51. The operation of the modification is similar to the operto eiTect a downward moveation of the preferred embodiment except that the movable contact 45 moves to disengaged position instead of to engaged position as in the preferred embodiment upon depression of the actuator 8.

While certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been specifically disclosed, it is understood that the invention is not limited thereto, as many variations will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and the invention is to be given its broadest possible interpretation within the terms of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an electric switch, an insulating enclosure, a stationary contact disposed therein, an actuating member, a movable contact slidably mounted on said actuating member, snap-acting means for effecting quick movement of said movable contact into and out of engagement with said stationary contact, said snap-acting means comprising a resilient member and a pair ofpivotal link members having operative engagement therewith, raised portions on the base of said insulating enclosure providing fulcrums for said link members, said link members turning upon said fulcrums upon movement of said actuating member to thereby effect a quick movement of said resilient member and of said movable contact, said fulcrum and link member engagement lessening the movement of said actuating member necessary to effect movement of the movable contact.

2. In an electric switch, an insulating enclosure, a stationary contact disposed therein, an actuating member, a movable contact slidably mounted on said actuating member for cooperation with said stationary contact, snap-acting means for effecting quick movement of said movable contact and comprising a resilient member and a pair of plate-like members, the ends of said members being supported, one by said resilient member and the other by said actuating member, raised portions on the base of said insulating enclosure and engageable with said platelike member intermediate the ends thereof, said plate-like members pivoting upon said raised portions upon movement of said actuating member in a first direction to etlect a quick movement of said resilient member and of said movable contact in the reverse direction, movement of said plate-like members about said raised portions lessening movement of said actuating member necessary to effect movement of the movable contact.

3. In an electric switch, an insulating enclosure, stationary contacts disposed therein, a rectilinearly movable contact slidably mounted on said rectilinearly movable member for engaging said stationary contacts to complete an electrical circuit therethrough, a manually movable operating member for eflecting movement of said rectilinearly movable member, snap-acting means for actuating said movable contact, said snapacting means comprising a resilient member and a pair of pivotally mounted link members raised portions on the base of said insulating member engageable with said link members to eifect quick movement of said snap-acting means to move the movable contact upon movement of said rectilinearly movable member in a first direction by said manual operator. engagement of said raised portions and link members lessening the movement of said rectilinearly movable member necessary to effect movement of the movable contact, and means for eil'ectlng movement of said operating member and said rectilinearly movable member a after manual operation.

2,354,412 7 g rectilinearly movable member in the reverse diin the reverse direction to return to their initial position upon release of the operating member 4. In an electric switch, an insulating enclo-. sure, stationary contacts disposed therein, a rectilinearly movable member, a rectilinearly movable contact slidably mounted, on said rectilinearly, movable member m engating said stationary member, said snap-acting means compr sing a resilient member and a pair or pivotallynioim'ted' link member raised portions-on the base- 01' said :I-ji-nsul'atingjmember engageable with said link -m'embersto efl'ect quick movement of said snap- E acting-means to move the-movable contact upon movement or said rectilinearly movable member in 'a first direction by said manual operator, en-' v gagement of said raised portions and linkmern- 'bers lessening the movement of said rectilinearly movable member necessary to eflect movement of the movable contact; and means for efiectin's movement oi said operating member andvsaid ,ation. v ,m 5. In an electric switch, an insulating enclosure, a stationary contact disposed therein, a

rectilinearly movable actuating member, amovv abie'contaet-slidably mounted on.--'said actuating member, snap-acting means for effecting quick movement of said movable contact intdand" out rection to return to their initial position upon release of the operating member after manual operof engagement with said stationary" contact, 'said sn-ap acting means comprising "a resilient membar and a pair f: rigid iinkmembers each; having 811 196 mmi emi im fi l fl movv able actuating member, raisedportions-eon the base 9' 'sa qfinsulatinsen1e u m 5iii ine -w crumsior'said link members, whereby upon moves t i .41 R alises-r1); 'P iv able aetuating member said link members engage sjfaidf'iulrnms to cause said snap-acting means to bejmovedrel-l ative to said base to carry the linear action of said resilient means through'said pivots of said link members to efl'ect a quick movement of said resilient-member and of said movable contact, engagement of said iulcrum's and link members lessening the movement of said actuatinggmem .ber necessary to efl'ect movement contact. 2

WILLIAM H. WOODS.

of said movable 

